Here’s how to retool your workday for better communication, better organization, and a last-ditch effort at saving your New Year’s resolutions.
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Fun fact: according to the National Center for Biotechnology Research, 25% of us abandon our resolutions by January 7th.
Just seven measly days into the year?! Uff-da. If you’re still holding onto your resolutions, then good on ya. (I resolved to cut out late-night snacking and swear less, both of which are going pretty damn well. Ok: one of which is going well.) Our grip on new and better behaviors is tenuous at first. Without a toolkit of strategies, we’re one stressful situation away from falling back into old habits.
Even if your resolutions have nothing to do with work, working smarter can help you keep them. Let’s take a look at seven popular New Year’s resolutions and how you can re-tool your workday to save yourself from 11 months of shame and self-loathing.
A sustainable work-life balance is the Holy Grail of office denizens everywhere. 39% of workers blame their work-life imbalance on too much going on at work. And that’s not surprising. Ruthless prioritization is hard if you don’t have a North Star to guide you.
Pioneered at Google, companies worldwide now use the Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) framework to stay laser-focused on the work that matters. The idea is to set 2-3 objectives for the quarter and define the results you want to see (and measure). With OKRs in place, it’s clear when to say “not now” to an idea so your workload is both manageable and “nutrient-dense.”
Find step-by-step instructions and a free template here.
Mindfulness means making purposeful, intentional choices in our lives. But we tend to flail about unless we set ourselves some guardrails. That’s where the Trade-off Sliders technique comes in.
Think of all the things you could optimize for: health, wealth, time with friends and family, etc. Then for each one, use a sliding scale to show how flexible you’re willing to be. You’ll quickly see where the trade-offs are. For example, if optimizing for health means more time at the gym, that might need to come at the expense of time spent with friends. By setting guardrails with a thoughtful but dispassionate mindset, it’s easier to make purpose-driven choices in the moment.
